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A TikTok influencer who sparked national outcry when he shared a video of him giving flowers to a lady at a mall has revealed how he struggles with his own demons.
Harrison Pawluk sparked controversy earlier this year when the subject of that video — which has been viewed 70.8 million times — said she felt dehumanized by his “clickbait” gesture.
But behind the random acts of kindness and free hugs on video, the 22-year-old Melbourne star – known online as lifeofharrison – has been dealing with the horror of Russia’s war with Ukraine.
Pawluk has a cousin who was trapped in her apartment in Kiev when Russian bombs began falling in late February, with the sky “raining rockets” as she briefly left her bunker to get water and clean clothes.
This woman, a niece of his mother Diana Pawluk, had taken refuge in a bunker below her apartment when the invasion began.
Harrison said the situation was particularly dire for his family, as his maternal great-great-uncles had disappeared and may have been murdered in the 1930s when Communist Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin sent Ukrainians to gulags, or forced labor camps, as part of a forced labor camp. famine.
“Mama’s great-uncles who lived in Ukraine during the Stalin era were sent to Siberia never to be seen or heard from again,” he told Daily Mail Australia.
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A TikTok influencer with 3.2 million followers who caused national outrage when he gave flowers to a lady in a shopping center has revealed that he has captured relatives in Russia’s war in Ukraine (photo is Harrison Pawluk)
His video has been viewed 70.8 million times since it went live in June and sparked controversy when Melbourne shopping center woman Maree (pictured) said she felt dehumanized
But behind the random acts of kindness and free hugs on video, the 22-year-old Melbourne star has been dealing with the horror of the war in Ukraine on social media (Harrison Pawluk, right, is pictured with his mother Diana Pawluk, who had a cousin in Ukraine during the beginning of the Russian invasion)
Harrison, a university student, is speaking out against Russian atrocities, past and present, after President Vladimir Putin pledged this month to deploy 300,000 military reservists to retake Ukrainian territory.
“I find it deeply disturbing that an independent nation has been attacked without any provocation,” he said.
“So many innocent people have been tortured and killed, and those who were lucky enough to survive have been left with nothing but ruins or have fled to other countries.
“I am so proud of the determination, unwavering spirit and resilience of the Ukrainian people to fight and reclaim what is rightfully theirs.
“I hope to visit and help rebuild when the time comes.”
Diana said her cousin, who wishes to remain anonymous for security reasons, spent eight years trying to destabilize Ukraine, but was taken by surprise by the invasion seven months ago.
“Although my family in Ukraine was aware of some destabilization in the country and was directly hit by a massive cyber attack at the time, the general consensus among them and their friends was that a large-scale attack would not happen,” she said. .
Diana was in touch with her relatives in February when Russian troops gathered along the border with Ukraine and said she had urged them to flee Ukraine. When the Russians attacked on February 24, they took refuge in a bunker under their apartment (pictured is destruction in Kiev)
“Having lived for the past eight years in the country where a war is raging in the east, they had made some contingency plans in terms of where to take temporary refuge, but nothing had really prepared them for what had unfolded.”
Diana was in touch with her relatives in February when Russian troops gathered along the border with Ukraine and said she had urged them to flee Ukraine.
When the Russians attacked on February 24, they took refuge in a bunker below their apartment.
On day two of the invasion, they went upstairs, back to their apartment to pack some clean clothes and water to take back to the bunker.
“They assumed it was safe to do that,” Diana said.
“Within moments of arriving at the apartment, they became entangled in the attack – rockets started raining down.
“Caught and unable to get out, they messaged me because they were in a panic and didn’t know what to do.
“At the time I was in the car in Melbourne and I heard my phone ping furiously and I was worried so I stopped only to realize the gravity of the situation they were in.
Despite the war, Ukraine’s postal services continue to deliver mail and Diana’s cousin was able to send her a postcard in English
“The message asked if I was aware of the bombing in Kiev, because it was difficult to decipher the real facts from fiction from what they had read, that they were scared and trapped and that missiles came down around their apartment building.
“Most poignant was the question of whether they would die.”
After surviving the bombing, Diana’s cousin managed to flee to Poland.
“A few days later they reconnected to let me know they were trying to cross the Polish border with some help from the military and a group of other Ukrainians they had met,” Diana said.
“They only moved at night between bunkers, a series of tunnels and subways and between explosions.”
Despite the war, the Ukrainian postal services continue to deliver mail and Diana’s cousin was able to send her a postcard in English.
“Diana, thanks again for your support. It is very important for our country at the moment,” it reads.
“God bless your soul.”
Harrison said the situation was particularly dire for his family, as his maternal great-great-uncles had disappeared and may have been killed in the 1930s when Communist Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin sent Ukrainians to gulags, or forced labor camps, as part of a forced famine.
But Diana said her cousin had witnessed Russian war crimes when they escaped from Ukraine.
“A week or so later, I was told they had made it safely from Ukraine, but there was a price tag involved,” she said.
“They had witnessed countless atrocities committed by Russian soldiers along the way that had a profound effect on their mental health.”
Diana’s niece has since moved to a neighboring country from Poland, but wants to return to Ukraine one day.
“Right now they are trying to create a sense of normalcy until it is safe to go back to Ukraine,” she said.
‘Ukrainians are generally very resilient people and their pursuit of democracy will never end.
“All they want is a sovereign and modern Ukraine without any influence from Russia and we will not stop until we have it.”
Donations to Ukrainians caught in the war can be made through the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organizations, Caritas and Ukrainian Guardian Angels